Strainer apparatus



Dx. 19, 1939. B. s. BURRELI.

STRAINER APPARATUS Filed Oct.- 19. 19255 5 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 19, 1939.B. s. BURRELL Y STRAINER APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19. 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2e 2: @arr-ell. aim @@5531 Dec. 19, 1939. B. s. BURRELL. 2,184,177

STRAINER APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 N l x N a1 W 1I-QH' l ik f w f 'l 'lul "n u V k sy. g `V JJ h l l Y N I" m Q mi" 'IIDec. 19, 1939. B. s. BURRELL STRAINER APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19. 1955 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Dec. 19, 1939. a. s. BURRELL.

STRAINER APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19. 1935 .5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec.19, 1939 y UNITED STATES PATENT' I OFFICE STRAINEB APPARATUS Benjamins.Burrell, East Chicago, Ind. Application October 19, .1935, Serial No.45,812 1.2 Claims. (Cl. 21o-152) My invention relates, as to one phasethereof, to automatically operating filtering or strainer apparatusesfor use as for example in cleaning water, sewage disposal, oilseparation, oil filtering, food product separation, gas cleaning, cementplant cleaning, and air cleaning, to remove, by way of example,particles of dirt or other solid foreign matter from liquids and gases,or separating constituents of different viscosities as for example inthe case of oil separation; and as to another phase thereof to filteringor strainer apparatuses in which the strainer element is in the form ofa flat disk; the present application being in part a continuation of myapplication for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 550,237, ledJulyl1, 1931.

My objects, generally stated, are to provide,

improvements in filtering or strainer apparatuses of the back-washingtype to the end that the fluid used for back-washing may be conserved tothe maximum extent; to provide improvements in strainer apparatus of theflat disk type to the end that such apparatus will be better adapted toperform the service for which it is provided; be reliable in operationand not be liable to impairment. Certain of my more speclc objects areto provide for the cleaning of the strainer element, by gaseous pressurewhen, and if, desired,r and to provide means whereby the supplying ofvthe cleaning fluid, gaseous or liquid, will be automatically controlledand supplied only as needed-to effect the cleansing operation, andpreferably only in such amounts, as are required to effect the desireddegree of cleansing; and other objects as will be manifest from thefollowing description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal sectional elevation of a pipe linethrough which the uid to be operated on, as ior'example water to becleansed, is conducted, together with astrainer apparatus constitutingone embodiment of myl invention, associated therewith.

Figure 2 is asection taken at the line 2--2 on Fig. l and viewed in thedirection of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a broken section taken at the line 3--3 on Fig. 2 and viewedin the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a view like Fig. 1 of another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 5 is a broken vertical sectional view taken through a strainerapparatus of another type and embodying my invention, the section beingtaken at the irregular line 5-5 on Fig. 6 and viewed in the direction ofthe arrows; and

Figure 6, a section taken at the line 6 on Fig. 5 and viewed in thedirection of the arrow.

Referring to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2and 3, 4 represents a casing having an inlet 5 at its lower portionconnected with a pipe Ii through which the fluid to be operated on asfor example water to be cleansed, is conducted to the casing 4, thecasing 4 having an outlet 1 also at its lower portion which connectswith a pipe 8 through which the fluid after being subjected to thestrainer action hereinafter described, as for example to remove foreignparticles from the water, is conducted away to storage or to the desiredpoint of use.

Journaled in the casing 4 is a shaft 9 driven in any suitable manner andhaving fixed thereto' a strainer disk I located in the chamber II of thecasing 4 and forming a foraminous partition. 'Ihe disk I0 is shown asformed of a pair of fiatwise opposed disk'members I2 and I3 betweenwhich a ring I4 of strainer material, as for example wire mesh, isinterposed, the disk members I2 and I3 containing registeringperforations I and I6, respectively, the perforations I6 preferablyaring outwardly as shown.

. The disk members I2- and I3 are provided with outwardly flaringannular anges I1 and I8, respectively, which form a rim at which themembers I2 and I3 are rotatable in a channeled annular liner member I9extending about the inner periphery of the casing 4.

Located in the upper portion of the chamber II is a frusto conical hood20 provided with an outwardly extending annular rim 2| opposing the faceof the disk member I3the hood 20 being provided on the end of a pipe 22slidable in a side wall of the casing 4 and forming with this pipe anoutlet through which the material deposited on the strainer ring I4 andin the pockets presented by the perforations I6, is forced ashereinafter de scribed. A spring 23 surrounding the pipe 22 andinterposed between a wall of the casing 4 and the hood 20 serves tomaintain bearing contact between thehood and the disk member I3.

In alinement with the hood 20 at the opposite side of the disk III is acylinder 24 forming a chamber and slidable in a boss 25 on the casingwall, thecylinder 24 containing a series of openings 26 in its side wallwhich open into the chamber II and through which uid for cleaning thedrum I0 passes into the cylinder 24.

The cylinder 24 bears at an annular flange 21 thereon against the faceof the disk member I2 with, which it makes a tight joint under theaction of a coil spring 28 surrounding the cylinder 24 and interposedbetween the adjacent casing wall and the flange 21.

The end of the cylinder 24 at which it bears against the disk member I2is provided with a disk 29 containing a central diametrical slot 30forming a seat' for a `taper valve 3l mounted on the end of a rod 32slidable in a stumng box 33 mounted on the outer, closed, end of thecylinder 24, the outer end of the rod 32 being connected with `aflexible diaphragm 34 mounted in a stationary diaphragm casing 36. Thediaphragm I4 divides the casing 35 into two compartments 36 and 31, theouter compartment 36 being in communication with the pipe 8 through themedium of a pipe 38 provided with a manually operated valve representedat 39.

It may be here stated that in the continuing rotation of the disk I0,the iiuid to be operated on passes from the pipe 6 through the strainerdisk I and thence to the pipe 8, the screen I4 the material to beremoved from the fluid, in the case of the cleansing of water, the solidparticles in the water, the material removed from the fluid becominglodged in the cavity, or pocket, forming perforations I8 carried thereinin the continuous rotation of the disk I0 to a position in which theyregister with the slot 30 and the hood 20 at which point they aresubjected to a countercurrent of cleansing uid which forces the materialfrom the screen I4 and out through the pockets I6 and into the hood 20for discharge through the pipe 22.

Any suitable means for supplying cleansing fluid to the cylinder 24 forthe may be provided. In the particular construction shown and providedfor straining liquids, and in the use of which waste of the liquid is tobe prevented,`air pressure is used as the cleansing iiuid, the airpressure being generated by an injector action produced by the pressureof the water in the pipe 6, the apparatus to this end being prochargingfrom the injector into the chamber I I through a pipe 42, the air thusintroduced into the chamber discharging through the ports 26 into thecylinder 24 and thence, assuming the through the disk I 0 and thenceinto the hood 20 and its pipe extension. To insure the necessary speedof flow of liquid to the injector 40 for effecting the desired airpressure within the cylinder 24, a booster pump 43 is provided in thepipe 4|, this supply opening either into the chamber or directly intocylinder 24, in which case the openings 26 may be omitted.

The diaphragm mechanism associated with the valve 3| as above describedand in communication with the pipe 8 is provided for the purpose endthat the cleaning fluid will be directed against the strainer disk thelatter and of 2 and confined betweenA nuts 4B adjustable along the rodand a spider 41 in the cylinder 2|, and reduction of pressure in thepipe t permitting the valve 3| under the action of the spring 45, to

the strainer material I4 results in the reduction of the pressure in thepipe 8 whereupon the valve 3| automatically opens permitting of the owof cleansing uid in the cylinder 24, through the slot 30 for performingthe cleansing function, this valve remaining open, and the cleansingoperation continuing, upon successive portions of the drum I0, until theres toration of such a degree of freedom of flow of fluid through thedrum I0 as results in the repressure within the pipe 8 sufficient toclose the valve 3|.

As will be noted, the degree to which the valve 3| opens, andconsequently the volume of ow of back-washing liquid through the diskI0, depends on the degree of resistance presented by the accumulatedsolid matter on the disk to the flow therethrough of the fluid to befiltered, and thus only such that not all of the solid matter thebackwashing iiuid as the when thinly coated with the better perform thestraining prevent the liquid at all times from rising into the cylinder24 and discharging through the disk i0 and thence to the hood 20 therebyeffecting a cleansing action in conjunction with the gaseous fluid. Itis preferred, however, that in those cases where it is desired none ofthe liquid be wasted that only gaseous fluid be used for the cleansingaction.

Where a limited loss the cylinder 24 directly from the outside, theholes 26 in the latter case being omitted, but

described, in which case the injector mechanism referred to would beomitted.

In the use of the apparatus for cleaninggaseous uids the injector 40together with the pipe line leading thereto from the pipe 6 is omittedand the cleansing of the strainer disk I0 is effected by a portion ofthe gas after passing through the disk I0, the control mechanism for thevalve 3| and above described functioning as in the case of the use ofthe construction in operating upon liquid and thereby conserving theamount oi' gas escaping' through the exhaust pipe 22.

'I'he construction just described presupposes the to the strainerapparatus is not at a uniform pressure, as occurs sometimes in practice,the back-washing-fluid-controlling means would preferably be soconstructed that they would properly function regardless of variationsin the pressure ofthe incoming fluid to be screened; and as illustrativeof such modification reference is made to the construction shown in Fig.4, a description of which is as follows:

This construction is the same as the one shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3,except that the diaphragm casing 35 instead of being open at one side tothe atmosphere is closed by a stuing box 35a 'for the rod 32; the spring45 of Figs. 1-3 is removed irom its position between the nuts 46 and thespider 41 and placed between the nuts 46 and the end wall of thecylinder 24 (the spring thus repositioned being represented at 45B); andthe compartment 35 connected by a pipe 35c with the pipe 6. v

Such diaphragm mechanism is thus of the differential type whereby thevalve 3| is operated responsive to a predetermined differential betweenthe pressures in the pipes 6 and 8 produced by accumulation of solidmatter on the screening disk I0, regardless of uniformity of pressure ofthe fluid in pipe 6, the degree of dierential necessary to open thevalve 3| being regulated by varying the tension of the spring 45'* byadjusting the nuts 46, the valve 3| opening to an extent proportional tothe increments of differential between the pressures in pipes 6 and 8,whereby as the differential increases the valve 3| opens an increasedamount to permit an increase in the volume of flow of backwash fluidthrough the strainer disk lli, and as the differential decreases 'thevalve moves proportionately toward closed position. to throttle the flowof backwashing fluid.

In both of the constructions above described the valve 3| controllingthe flow of backwashing iiuid is at the inlet side of the backwashingcourse. It will be understood, however, that my invention alsocontemplates the location of the backwash-controlling valve at theoutletside of the backwashing course instead of at the inlet to this course.

As a specic exempliiication of locating the backwash-controlling valveat the outlet side of the backwashing course and as illustrative of theembodiment of the invention in strainer apparatus employing a strainerelement of another type, reference is made to the construction shown inFigs. and 6 a description of which is as follows:

The apparatus shown in these figures is of the same general constructionas that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,968,741, grantedto me on July 31, 1934, and therefore a general description of thefeatures common to the construction shown in said patent and in Figs. 5and 6 hereof will suffice.

The apparatus shown comprises a casing 48 closed at its upper end andhaving in its side wall an opening 49 to receive the fluid to bescreened and its lower end being open as represented at 50 to provide anoutlet for the screened fluid.

Journalled in a perforated sleeve 5| in the casing 48 is a strainerdevice 52 in the form of a reticulated shell of general cylindrical formand opening at its lower end into the outlet 50 in the casing 46.

The strainer device 52 is shown as connected at its upper end with ashaft 53 extending downwardly into casing 46 and rotatable, to rotatethe strainer device 52, by any suitable means.

From the foregoing it will be understood that solid matter flowing withthe fluid into the inlet 49 will become deposited on the outercircumference of the strainer device 52, the screened uid passing intothe interior of the device 52 and thence to discharge through the outlet50.

Means are also provided for eecting backwash of the strainer device 52to remove therefrom accumulations of solid matter' deposited thereon inthe screening operation as above stated, the means shown comprisingregistering ports 54 and 55 in the sleeve 5| and casing 48,respectively, and opening to discharge through a pipe 56, these means asshown further comprising a nozzle 61 which, however, may be omitted,located in the strainer device 52 and pivoted on links 56 to constantlybear against the inner surface of the device 52.

As will be understood, the pressure of the screened fluid in the shell52 causes a portion thereof to iiow through the nozzle 51 and thestrainer device 52 to discharge, thus backwashing from the device 52accumulations of solid matter thereon while continuing the screeningoperation.

In this construction, in accordance with an embodiment of my invention,the flow of backwashing fluid is controlled as and for the purposeexplained in connection with the construction shown in Fig. 4, theapparatus to this end being provided at the backwashing outlet of thecasing 48A with a cylinder 58 opening at one end into the port 55 and atits side into the pipe 58. In the inner end of the cylinder 58 is aslide valve 6u controlling the flow of the backwash fluid, this valvebeing mounted on a rod 6| slidable in the opposite end of the cylinder59 and provided therein with nuts 62 adjustable along this rod andbetween which and the closed end of the cylinder 59 a coil spring 63 isinterposed tending to close the valve 60. Mounted on the cylinder 59 isa diaphragm casing 64 containing a flexible diaphragm 65 secured to therod 63 and separating the space within the casing 64 into twocompartments 66 and 61, the compartment 66 being in communication, by apipe 68 with the outlet pipe 69 of the construction and the compartment61 being in communication, by a pipe 1li with the inlet 49 of the casing48.

There is thus provided differential mechanism for controlling the valve65 operated by difference in pressures of the incoming fluid to bescreened and of the screened fluid, as explained of the constructionshown in Fig. 4, the degree of differential at which the valve 60 startsto open being controllable by adjusting the nuts 62.

As will be understood, the invention also contemplates the location ofthe backwash-control-a ling valve at the inlet of the backwashing coursein this type of construction instead of at the outlet side thereof wherethe construction of 'strainer apparatus is such, as is known in the art,as to lend itself to control by a valve so located.

While I have illustrated and described certain embodiments of myinvention I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit theinvention thereto as the same may be variously modified and altered andthe invention embodied in other forms of construction includingadditional types of strainer apparatus, without departing from thespirit of the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A strainer apparatus comprising a casing having an inlet for thefluid to be operated on and an outlet for the conditioned fluid, arotary strainer element in said casing through which the fluid inpassing from said inlet to said outlet passes and is screened thereby,hollow members located at opposite sides of said strainer element andthrough which cleansing fluid for said strainer element passes, andmeans yieldingly forcing said members into with said strainer element.

`2. A strainer apparatus comprising a casing having an inlet for theliquid to be operated on and an outlet for the conditioned liquid, arotary close contact strainer device in said casing and through whichthe liquid in passing from said inlet to said outlet passes and isscreened thereby, means for introducing gaseous uid under pressure intothe space and is screened thereby, for subjecting said strainer disk toa iiow of fluid for removing accumulations on said strainer disk I sionextending substantially radially of said disk and a valve movable in,and controlling, said Port.

for resiliently pressing said rst-named means agiainst said strainerelement to produce a tight Jo nt.

6. A strainer apparatus comprising a casing for the uid to be operatedon ing it comprising a hollow member, an outlet means, said member andoutlet means being on opposite sides' of the strainer, and resilientmeans urging contact of said hollow member, said strainer and saidoutlet means to produce a joint.

8. A strainer apparatus comprising a strainer device through which thefluid to be operated on passes and is screened thereby, means forlocally backwashing said device with a fluid While continuing thescreening operation, said means and differential increases toproportionately increase the amount of backwashing fluid and when suchdifferential decreases to proportionately decrease the amount ofbackwashing fluid.

9. A strainer apparatus comprising a strainer device through which thefluid to be operated on mass o f solid matter on said device to the owtherethrough of the 10. A fluid strainer apparatus comprising, a movablescreen, automatically acting mechanism sure o1' uid between the inletand outlet sides of said screen.

11. A strainer apparatus comprising a casing having an inlet i'or thefluid to be operated on and an outlet for the conditioned fluid, arotary of said disk, their edges entering said channels to preventleakage about the periphery of said disk.

the uid in passing from said inlet to said outlet passes and is screenedthereby, and a hollow member located at one side oi' said strainerdevice and containing an opening in communication with the interior ofsaid casing at its outlet BENJAMIN S. BURREIL.

